'FOOTBALL TALKS' is the new series of SHOWMYBIZ where visitors will see us interviewing fan clubs, football journalist and football personals.
SHOWMYBIZ got the chance to get their views on recent developments in the FC BARCELONA.
Here it is -
Q: Firstly , Tell us about how did you started following FC Barcelona and what made you to be a fan of the club?
My love for FC Barcelona is inextricably linked to my affection for Barcelona the city. I spent a lot of time in Barcelona in the late 1990s and early 2000s, mostly in seedy bars cheering as Rivaldo and Kluivert scored amazing goals. Barcelona was a very different place in that era, but the football was always front and center.
Since then, I've lived in and visited the city regularly. Every new visit creates new memories and connections around football. I like the idea of football fandom being rooted in geography, rather than in star players or other personalities. FCB is part of an amazing, complex history that is intertwined with the city, and with Catalan identity. Being a fan of the club gives you an excuse to soak up not only sporting greatness, but also history and politics; it's all there.
Q: How did you started total Barca? How it feels to have one of biggest fan page on twitter?
The totalBarça project has been active for more than a decade, first as a "blog," then as a website, and now in its final incarnation in social media. Over 100 writers, designers and admins have been part of this project over the years. I'm really proud of our longevity, the unique personality we've developed, the daily work we do to keep our account fresh, and in our commitment to a few core principles especially around voluntarism and philanthropy.
Q: How it makes you feel to have a competent president in Joan laporta and your views on whole financial situation and there's lot changes that happening within the club? Another thing related to president that I wanna ask you is sacking of Barca B coach ,it came up as surprising? How do you see it ?
Dumping Bartomeu was obviously a huge moment in club history and it's worth underlining that he is gone because of pressure from activist member groups like El Cor Blaugrana. When it comes to Laporta, he is easy to like in comparison, but we don't support him unconditionally. So far, he has brought a new passion to the presidency and presumably a new vision for the team that is hopefully more coherent than his predecessor.
But Laporta and his board are largely cut from the same cloth as the previous management, and they reflect the same kinds of corporate mindset and style. Frankly, the way that they have treated Garcia Pimienta, and more recently Sergi Milà , has been eye-opening, no matter what you think of either coach.
Q: what's your views on koeman as a manager after what happened towards the end of the season the way we lost the league?
My god, Koeman: where to even start? With significant reservations, we supported the idea of giving Koeman one more year. This was partly because he gave up the Holland job and took over the club when it was at rock-bottom, a reflection of his commitment to the position. There was a moment when he had the team playing brilliant football. He stands out for his commitment in developing promising youth.
But: he is not the coach to lead Barcelona into its next era of greatness. And you don't need to look any further than the way we gave up La Liga for evidence of this.
So: one more year. Let it be great, but let it be his last.
Q: what's your views on our new singings and who excites you the most out of four new singings?
Garcia and Depay are players we've been watching at the Euros, and they will both strengthen the team in unique ways. Garcia is a very intelligent defender; with the right partner he will be a huge asset. Depay was the best out-of-contract attacker on the market and we are very lucky to have nabbed him. He is a GIANT upgrade, especially given Dembele's injury. If you want a very detailed profile of the player, please read Albert Blaya Sensat's epic thread about him from last month!
Q: There's a lot news about players leaving , in an ideal scenario who do you want to see leave the club?
The club's mantra this summer seems to be "eliminate under-performing high wage earners" and I think when we look at transfers that's not a bad place to start. Defensive blunders cost us points repeatedly throughout the season
Q: In context to last season , defence is struggling over and over again likes of umtiti or lenglet or even pique ( completely based on 20-21) are not good enough. So, What changes you wanna see in defence?
Ideally, the club finds a new home for Umtiti and Lenglet and brings in another top CB. Not sure we have the financial muscle to make that happen through, and unfortunately there's not really an outstanding youth CB to promote. A defense focused around Piqué, Garcia, Araujo and Mingueza still seems thin to me. But it's hard to overestimate the passion that Araujo and Mingueza bring to the team.
Q: As we learn from recent joan laporta's interview where he talked about possible 3 or 4 players coming to the club, what Reinforcement you want to see and where?
In general, the transfer situation this summer seems extremely murky with the club's financial crisis putting us in a very weak position relative to potential buyers and sellers. You also have an ongoing global pandemic, La Liga's strict wage cap, Dembele's injury, uncertainty about Coutinho...the list just goes on and on. It would not surprise me at all if the club had to keep unwanted players simply because no buyers could be found.
Q: Lately as we see from Spanish newspapers, there's a lot optimism about signing Bernardo Silva or laporte or sterling or de ligt ( tomorrow they could include city's mascot or kitmanFace with tears of joyFace with tears of joy). How much truth to these stories considering club's financial situation or exchanging with players?
I would be very surprised to see City players make the move to Barcelona for simple financial reasons. Deligt is a dream but it's hard to see Juve letting him go, and we certainly can't buy him outright.
Q: There are lot of exciting player coming up from la masia , from what you see who would promote to first team this season?
Alex Collado and Nico Gonzales for sure. I hope the club sells Neto and promotes Peña as second keeper. I also hope we see Alejandro Balde and Jandro Orellana in the preseason as they both play in positions that need new blood. Finally, brand new signing Kays Ruiz-Atil is a bit of a wild card who may also see first team action during the preseason.
Q: If we count on the positives of last season's then we need to talk about likes of pedri ,ansu fati or araujo or mingueza or dest? How do you see them growing and how far they could go in their respective career?
We're seeing that for Pedri, the sky is literally the limit, although player fatigue is going to be an issue even if he doesn't end up going to the Olympics. Fati comes back to the team with huge expectations to take over where he left off before his injury and man: that situation is going to have to be very carefully managed. Araujo seems rock-solid as a CB; Mingueza less so. And for us, Dest really blew hot and cold at different points of the season. He strikes me as a player who is still trying to establish an identity. He will be amazing with the right coaching; if he is left to improvise, we will see matches like the second Clasico.
Q: there's lot of rumours regarding Xavi managing barca, Is he ready to manage a club like barca? Your views on Xavi as manager.
My fantasy is that he is the coach that begins a new era of greatness at FC Barcelona. Xavi was "ready" to be the Barcelona coach the minute he retired as a player. By that we mean that he knows the club, he has a football philosophy, he has a lifetime with the game and the ambition to tackle the position. Xavi is intelligently waiting for the right moment to present himself as a candidate for the job.
Q: With likes of jordi cruyff , mateu alemany and Rafael yuste at the club , how do you see them making impact on sporting areas?
It's difficult really to assess these men at this point. Cruyff won't even start working in Barcelona until August. The impact of Alemany and Yuste will be hard to judge until the transfer window closes and the club actually starts to play football again.
Q: Lastly , what's your expectations for 2021-2022 season?
We are already a better side than we were in May. I would be elated with a Liga title and a deep run in the UCL. I'd be over the moon if the club could deliver another UCL trophy in 1 of Messi's last 2 years in the team. We owe him that beautiful trophy!
Thank you to the team of totalbarca for an insight into their thoughts and gardening ideas, and I wish you the best of luck going forward, Mates!
.jpeg)
0 Comments